Life After Asteroid
by xxLaurenElizabethxx
Summary: Danny and Sam get together after he saves the world from the asteroid. But a surprise pregnancy changes the couples' life plan... hard T.
1. The First Kick

**Chapter 1**

Sam was looking down at the silver band on her finger as she felt it.

"Danny!" She called out immediately, her voice echoing around the room. "Danny!"

Seconds later, a tall, skinny boy with white hair and bright green eyes appeared in front of her, looking alert and ready to fight.

"Come here," Sam said, patting the seat next to her on the couch. "Sit down and give me your hand."

Danny obeyed, his brows knitting together in wonder and what she wanted his hand for. She took it and placed it on her belly, which was barely big enough to show she was pregnant. Nothing happened for a minute, and then he felt a nudge.

"Was – was that - " he stammered, pressing down on her belly a bit harder.

"Our baby," Sam answered, a smile on her lips. She placed her hand over Danny's as he continued to wait for another nudge. He laughed as he did, and put his face down to where the feelings were coming from.

"Hey, little one," he cooed, talking to Sam's belly. "I'm your daddy! I cant wait to meet you…"

Sam ran her fingers through Danny's dark hair, still smiling. It had been several years since they had managed to save the world, and they had finally decided to stop pushing aside their feelings for each other and try dating. It had gone exceedingly well, but it had also been quite a shock when Sam took that pregnancy test and the tiny plus sign had appeared. They hadn't even been discussing marriage, and now it was definitely on a back burner, the baby being all Sam could think about.

"How far along are you again?" Danny's green eyes looked up into her violet ones. He hadn't phased back, probably because feeling his baby kick had been so surprising for him.

"Almost twenty weeks. My gender ultrasound is scheduled for next week."

Neither of them had to say anything to this – they were both hoping that Danny would be able to make it to the doctor. Although there had been fewer ghost attacks in Amity Park, the ones that did happen were always on important days or when the couple were trying to have some quality alone time. It was almost a miracle that they had been able to get pregnant – not only were they not sure Danny's DNA would actually be able to be passed on, but there were ghost attacks every time they tried to make love.

"I'll make it," Danny said. Sam knew he meant it – he had been more excited than she when they had found out – but all Sam could do in response was smile and kiss his forehead.

"I know you'll try," she said, "but I – we – understand if you can't."

Danny sat up straight and phased back into a human; he took Sam's face in his hands and hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but kissed her instead.


	2. The Ultrasound

**Chapter 2**

The morning dawned bright and beautiful, but when Sam opened her eyes, she felt a bit nauseous. She groaned as she slid her legs off of the king-sized bed that she and Danny shared, knowing she needed to satisfy her bladder's needs or she would end up washing the sheets again.

"Mmm…" Danny mumbled in his sleep, unconsciously running his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. Sam chuckled quietly to herself as she went to the bathroom. She was glad that it had been a quiet night, and was hoping that today would be quiet as well – it was her twenty-week appointment at the midwife and today they would be finding out the sex of their baby!

All was quiet that morning until Sam was sitting comfortably in the passenger's seat of their car, ready to leave the house. She was glad that Danny had suggested taking the car his parents had built, rather than the RV… it was much less conspicuous and they didn't plan on fighting any ghosts on their way. But as Sam watched Danny leave the house, she saw the telltale silvery wisp of air leave his mouth; she let out an audible groan.

"Babe…" Danny's eyes were sad, but they both knew what had to happen now. "I have to, but I'll be as fast as I can. Try to hold the doctor off until I can get there."

"I'll try. Please hurry!" Sam called out to her now-white-haired boyfriend as he crouched and then jumped into the air. He didn't have to be as camouflaged with his phases as he used to be, but he never shouted "Going ghost!" anymore… for which Sam was secretly rather glad.

The struggle to climb out of the passenger's seat and into the driver's was more than Sam had anticipated, and she was out of breath by the time she had arranged herself in the seat correctly. The drive passed in a nervous blur and before she knew it, she was in front of the midwives' center that she had been going to since she had been six weeks along. Danny had only been able to make two of the appointments.

"Hello, Sam!" the cheerful blonde woman at the front desk greeted her. Sam smiled in response, but was quiet as she signed in and sat down. While her dislike of most cheerful people had softened a bit, she still didn't enter into any conversation that was trivial. She wasn't very good at small talk, after all.

"Danny will be here as soon as he can," Sam told the brunette woman that had just come through the door of the waiting room. The woman smiled.

"I understand completely."

Sam followed her back to the usual room they were in. She had wanted the largest one, equipped with birthing balls and a hot tub. She had a deep mistrust of hospitals and had elected to have a completely natural birth, unless there were any serious complications.

"So, we can still find out the sex today, right, Lily?" Sam was nervous as she sat on the table and lifted her shirt.

"Of course!" Lily answered, gently prodding Sam's belly and smiling as she felt a kick. "Unless your little one doesn't cooperate."

"Could we do that part last? Danny wanted to see…"

The midwife smiled as she pulled out a small handheld machine that reminded Sam of the gadgets that Tucker used to always have… but this one was to help hear a baby's heartbeat. Tucker would never have something like that.

"A good, strong heartbeat…" the midwife scribbled on a sheet of paper as she spoke. "And now let me take your pulse?"

Sam had just offered Lily her arm when Danny burst in, blue-eyed and dark-haired, and a wild, excited look on his face.

"Did I miss it?" He asked, breathing hard. His eyes were now glued to Sam's belly, as if asking it specifically.

"No, hon. I'm glad you made it." Sam smiled and held her hand out. "Now I don't care when you do the ultrasound."

"Well, then, let's do it now, shall we?" Lily turned from them and put gloves on before grabbing a tube of turquoise gel and squeezing it onto Sam's belly. It was cold at first, but Sam didn't even notice. She was so glad that Danny had been able to make it to this appointment that she missed the first part of what her midwife was saying.

" – and a healthy-sized head!" Lily looked from the screen where their baby was projected to the couple.

"Can you see the sex?" Sam asked, squeezing Danny's hand.

"I can, just give me one second…" she moved the probe along Sam's belly, and Sam flinched slightly.

"It tickles," she said quickly when Danny looked at her in surprise.

"Are you ready to know?" Lily asked. Both Sam and Danny looked at the screen.

"It's a - " right as the midwife was opening her mouth, another silvery wisp escaped Danny's. Sam squeezed his hand, holding him next to her. " - boy!"

Tears pricked Sam's eyes; pregnancy had made her very emotional and the news that they would be having a son sent her over the edge. She looked at Danny and saw that he, too, was crying. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear that he would see her at home that night before running out of the room. She heard him phase in the hallway and let her head fall onto the pillow beneath her.

 _A little boy…_

….

A/N: _Hey, ShadowDragon357, thanks for the review! They are currently 20 at this point; I'm going off the assumption that they had been 16 when Danny helped avoid the asteroid. Hope that clears things up and that you enjoy the newest chapter!_


	3. Worries

**Chapter 3**

After the gender ultrasound, Sam went out for pizza. She knew Danny could get around just fine without the car, and she needed a little time to herself too. The idea of a baby had seemed okay at first, and she was still excited, but now that they knew it was going to be a boy, it was a lot more real. She couldn't believe she was five months along already either. Time had been flying lately.

"I wish time would slow down," Sam said aloud to her belly after she had sat down with a few slices of vegetarian pizza. "You're going to be here before we know it."

Was she ready to be a mom? After all, she was only twenty, and Danny was just a few months younger than she was… they had also planned to date for a while before they even considered marriage, let alone a baby! At first, Sam had cursed herself for not being more adamant about getting on regular birth control – she and Danny had been having sex for a long time with no missed periods or problems of any sort, and then one day, she had just started puking out of nowhere. At first she had thought it was the flu, but when she kept waking up nauseous every morning, they had decided she should take a pregnancy test.

Sam finished her pizza and got back into the car, not remembering the ride back home any more than she remembered the initial one to the midwives' center. But when she opened the door, she ran right into Danny.

"There you are!" he said, pulling her to his chest. "I was worried, I thought you would come right home and when you didn't…" he trailed off.

"I went out for pizza."

"Is… is everything okay?" Danny let go of her slightly, just enough to look into her amethyst-colored eyes. He saw the doubt and worry in them, just like Sam knew he would.

"Danny, what are we doing? We're barely out of school and neither of us know how to be _parents_. What if we screw up badly? Or our son doesn't love us?"

Chuckling, Danny pulled his fingers through Sam's long, black hair.

"Why are you so worried about this now? You'll be a great mom. We just have to do our best and be open-minded."

"And what about school?" Sam asked, looking down at the floor. "I still have two years left - "

"Sam, relax. We will be okay. This is a blessing. We didn't even know if I could help make a baby, and now we'll have a _son_. Don't worry. We'll find a way to make it work."

Danny's hands had found their way to her belly and Sam couldn't help but smile. The baby gave a kick and they looked at each other; he pulled her face closer to his until their lips met. Sam pressed herself against Danny and felt her whole body relax; he was right, and as long as he was there, she didn't need to worry.

…

A/N: _I'm kinda digging the shorter chapters at the moment; we'll see if I decide to lengthen them as the story progresses. Thank you for the review again, ShadowDragon357, I appreciate your thoughts and they actually gave me some inspiration for not only this chapter, but for some future things I have planned! I look forward to hearing more from you (I hope) as I go on._


	4. Surprise

**Chapter 4**

At eight months pregnant, Sam Manson was getting uncomfortable, and rather cranky too. She had been short with Danny and had chosen to spend increasing amounts of time at home, trying to rest her exhausted body after being a full-time student every day of the week. It was Saturday now, however, and she was taking a break from intensive schoolwork to spend the day with Danny.

"Are you ready to go?" She called into their bedroom, where Danny had been for quite a while now. She had only been putting on her signature purple lipstick, black eyeliner, and mascara lately – standing in front of a mirror had been very unappealing since she had felt her gravity shift.

"Yes," Danny said, pulling the door open and almost walking right into her as he exited the bedroom. "Oh, sorry, Sam."

"Where are you taking me?"

Danny smirked at Sam before answering. "That's a secret."

Sam rolled her eyes. She had never really been one for surprises, but she loved Danny and trusted he knew her well enough to at least make it a good one. They walked out to the car and Danny helped Sam in; things were getting hard with her constantly growing belly.

The ride began quite uneventfully, the two discussing school and possible baby names. Sam was finding it hard to think of boys' names for some reason, but Danny had plenty of suggestions.

"Maximillian?" he suggested.

"I don't know about that one," Sam said.

"All right. Um, how about… David?"

"That's too close to Danny in my opinion."

"Wow, tough crowd," Danny laughed. He was just opening his mouth to speak again when it happened.

Something slammed into the car on Sam's side, making her body jerk towards Danny and throwing him into his door. The car spun around for a moment, throwing the two around in their seats before finally coming to a stop.

"Sam? Sam! Are you okay?" Danny's frantic voice was the first thing to filter through the shock.

"Y-yeah, I think so…" instinctively, her hands flew to her belly, where they were greeted with a rather weak kick. "I just felt the baby kick too."

As she was speaking, Danny was working on unbuckling his seatbelt and extracting himself from the car. Sam dazedly looked out of her window and saw the massive, now damaged front end of some sort of SUV a few yards away. It looked like while they had spun out, the car that had hit them had stopped in its tracks. There was nobody inside it though. Or even outside. She watched as Danny circled the smashed vehicle and looked inside of it. He then ran back over to their car and reached through the door, pulling Sam through and into his arms.

That was the first time he had ever used any of his powers on Sam since she had become pregnant; neither of them knew what effect they would have on an unborn child and so they had agreed to only use them in an emergency… and this certainly qualified. Before too many people could get out of their cars and stop to ask what happened, Danny phased and flew up and back towards the house, Sam still in his arms.


	5. Tied Down

**Chapter 5**

At first, Sam thought Danny was taking her to their house, but after a few minutes of being up in the air made it clear that he wasn't. They were actually going to the Fenton's.

Tall and made of brick with glowing neon signs, Sam had regarded Danny's parents' house as a second home for years, and was relieved that they would be going right to the two people that knew the most about ghosts – except maybe she, Danny, and Tucker, of course. Danny didn't bother using the front door, and he didn't seem to want to let Sam out of his arms, either; he phased through the roof and two floors before coming to stand in the middle of Maddie and Jack's lab.

"Mom, dad, we need your help." Danny phased back to his normal human self and both his parents turned around.

The couple must have looked worse than they felt, because Maddie immediately rushed over to them and began to inspect their faces. Sam felt a slight cramp in her belly and made a noise in her throat – it did not go unnoticed.

"Are you okay?" Danny and his mother asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, just a cramp. I'm sure it's nothing." Sam unconsciously rubbed her belly.

"Cramps aren't nothing, Sam," Danny's mother said sternly, gently prodding where Sam's had had been. "Can you stand?"

"I don't know, I haven't tried yet," Sam answered. She looked at Danny, who had an expression on his face that clearly said he wasn't about to let her go. "Danny?"

"Can't you look at her right here?" Danny's blue eyes were boring into his mother, and his grip tightened on Sam.

"Now, Danny," his mother answered soothingly, "I have a specialized room for her. You know that."

 _She has a… what?_ Sam thought. She looked at Danny, a slight glare on her face. Why hadn't he told her about whatever his mother was talking about? But he ignored her, still staring at his mother. Slowly, he relaxed his arms and helped Sam to her feet. While she was slightly unbalanced, she was able to stand. But now she was beginning to feel a headache.

"I feel fine. Just a headache." Sam's violet eyes met Maddie's.

"Let me check you out anyway, please," Danny's mother put her hand on the small of Sam's back and guided her through a doorway at the back of the lab.

Sam blinked. The room was white and very hospital-like. Immediately her heartbeat picked up and her palms began to sweat. She stopped right inside of the door and Maddie couldn't move her any further.

"I don't like this room."

"We made it for you. It's sterile and perfect for having a baby!"

"Wait, _what_?" Sam sapped, her voice a little harsher than she wanted, but she didn't like what she was seeing or hearing. "Nobody said anything about having a baby here. I've already gone to the midwives and I like their setup."

"Danny didn't tell you he spoke with us, did he?"

"No, he did not." Sam was frowning now, and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, we talked, and decided that it would be safer for you and the baby if you delivered right here, with us."

"You're not a registered midwife, and this room looks like it belongs in an asylum!" Sam's head throbbed and she put a hand to her temple.

"Actually, Sam, I _am_ a midwife!" Maddie sounded proud of herself. "Because of Danny's DNA, none of us know what to expect with your baby. If there are any… complications, we would rather have you here, where we can help you without drawing attention to you or your family."

Sam didn't answer. While she was still upset that Danny hadn't told her about the discussion he had with his parents, Maddie was right. This would be the first half-human, half-ghost child to be born – at least to all of their knowledge – and there could be lots of things to go wrong. Sam sighed in defeat and allowed Maddie to steer her to the bed and help her lie down.

"Where did you get the ultrasound thing?" Sam asked as she watched the brunette woman pull out a familiar machine from one of the too-white corners of the room. She pulled it up to the bed and squeezed the familiar teal gel onto Sam's belly before she answered.

"I have my ways, hun." Maddie winked and then turned her attention to the tiny TV-like screen on top of the machine. "Hmm… well, your little man looks just fine! And he has a healthy heartbeat with no signs of stress. You got lucky. I'm glad that accident wasn't as bad as it could have been."

Sam exhaled harshly, relief flooding through her.

"But I want to keep you in here for the next few weeks until you go into labor, just to be sure nothing has affected either of you."

"Absolutely not! I have to go to school and we have to prepare my birth plan, and I _hate_ this room."

"Well, we can make some changes to the room and Danny can bring you all of your schoolwork. But I really insist you stay here… you only have five to eight weeks left!"

Sam knew that this would be a losing battle, but she wasn't ready to quit just yet.

"If I agree, can we at least remodel the room?"

"But it's sterile - "

"It's a hospital room. I refuse to have this baby in a hospital. That's why I contacted the midwives!"

"Okay, Sam. We can talk to Jack about changing some things, but I can't guarantee he'll agree."

Well, at least it was a start. Sam looked up at the ceiling as Maddie wiped her belly off and pulled her shirt back down. It may not be a perfect situation, but she couldn't blame Danny's mom for being more on guard with her and the baby, especially because this was almost an impossible pregnancy.

There was a knock on the door, and Danny came in, immediately crossing to Sam's side and putting his hand on her stomach.

"How's the baby?"

"Fine, sweetheart. But I was just telling Sam that I want to keep her here until she goes into labor, to make sure everything is okay and to oversee everything. I also mentioned that I became a registered midwife, so she has nothing to worry about."

Danny looked at Sam. She could see in his eyes that that was not the way he wanted her to find out about his and his parents' conversation, but there was nothing he could do now.

"Are you okay with that?" Danny asked slowly.

"I have to be, I guess. It doesn't sound like mom will budge. But this place has to change if I'm even going to consider cooperating."

Danny laughed. "That's my Sam."


	6. Love

**Chapter 6**

It had taken Sam a while, but eventually she had convinced Jack and Maddie to allow her to create a plan for remodeling her "new room," as the two liked to call it. While she wasn't thrilled about staying housebound for the next month or so, Sam was glad that it wouldn't be white anymore and that she could take control of the changes. She had managed to convince Jack to install (well, to help Maddie install) a birthing tub and a real bed, but the medical equipment was to stay and all of the Fenton family vetoed Sam's idea of painting the walls black. She had also managed to convince her professors to allow her to switch to online classes; Sam wasn't sure what made them so easy to convince, but she had a feeling Danny might have had something to do with it. She didn't complain though; the fact that she was now free to do whatever classes she wanted whenever she wanted, she felt much freer and happier.

Danny had gone back to the scene of the accident to try and figure out who had rammed into them, but had only seen the police cars and tow trucks taking both cars away. A day later, there was a report on the news that announced that there had been a "mysterious accident" in which nobody seemed to have been involved. Sam was glad that Danny hadn't been spotted flying away with her, but the event was quickly pushed from her mind by planning for baby and all of the things Maddie was having her do.

After Sam had accepted her fate, she had settled for interrogating Danny's mother about her midwife classes and how legitimate they were. Everything Maddie told her checked out, however, and she quickly lost fuel for her attempts to try and go back to the midwives she had originally planned on having their baby with. This would be Maddie's first birth, and although she was a skilled ghost hunter and much more competent than Jack, Sam was still worried. She had been spending countless hours pouring over details with Maddie, who had admitted that the only reason she had gotten her certification was to help Sam with her delivery. While she thought it was a very kind gesture, it still made Sam nervous and made her even more adamant about having Lily, the original midwife, available in case of a real emergency. Danny was doing his best to help her relax, too; he would come home from his classes every day and immediately go and see Sam and spend the rest of the evenings with her, helping plan her labor and birth and rubbing her back and feet when she complained about the pain.

"I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore," Sam said one day as Danny rubbed her neck.

"But you're so sexy right now." Danny's voice was rather husky and Sam blushed. They had barely been able to spend any time alone together lately, let alone be intimate in any way. Sam had been worrying that he wasn't attracted to her anymore and hadn't tried to push herself on Danny, even though she had been craving his touch more than ever.

"Really?" Sam's voice sounded soft, even to her own ears. "I thought you didn't want me anymore, now that I'm getting huge."

"That's even sexier." Danny kissed the back of her neck and pushed his hands up the back of her shirt. Sam felt every muscle that he touched relax and she melted into him. He moved his hands forward and rubbed her belly, occasionally kissing her neck and nibbling at the skin. Sam moaned slightly and turned towards him, eager to deepen the kisses and to feel his hands all over her.

 _"_ _Are you sure you're okay with this?"_

 _Danny's anxious face was hovering above hers, his blue eyes shining and his messy black hair almost brushing the sensitive skin on her forehead. This was the first time they'd had alone time in their new apartment, and also the first time… being together. While neither of them wanted to wait until marriage, they did want to wait until they were living together. Before they had begun to unpack, Danny had gotten on one knee, but presented Sam with a silver band instead of a diamond ring and told her that it was to symbolize a promise that they would someday in the future marry. Sam had gladly accepted, happy that there was no pressure or a time frame attached._

 _They had only half unpacked the last box before they couldn't keep their hands off each other any longer._

 _"_ _Of course. I'll tell you if you go too far." Sam brought her head up to give him another kiss, which quickly deepened and turned into frantic tearing off of each others' clothes…_

Now Danny was on top of her again, but this time there was no wonder in those bright blue eyes, just love and adoration. He leaned down carefully and kissed Sam's mouth, her neck, her breasts, and ended at her belly. Sam felt the baby kick, and Danny laughed.

"He kicked me in the face," was the answer to Sam's unspoken question as he came back up for another deep kiss. Sam wrapped her bare legs around him and felt him move inside of her.

It was the best sex they had ever had. Once they were both finished, Sam cuddled up to Danny's chest (at least, as best she could) and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her.

…

The couple were woken up by the telltale blue-white wisp escaping Danny's lips. Sam snuggled up closer to him, not wanting him to go.

"Stay…" she said into his warm skin, knowing what his answer would be.

"I can't," Sam could hear the smile in Danny's voice. "But you know I'll be back."

"Go quickly, then. I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, Sam watched Danny phase and disappear, hoping, like always, that he would come home safe to her.

… …

A/N: _I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter… it's a bit longer than I anticipated and I didn't feel like being explicit so it's a short love scene. I've already got an idea for the next chapter, so I'll begin that one tonight as well! I also think that there will be a chapter or few from Danny's perspective, so keep watch for the next chapter(s) tomorrow or Monday! Also: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE AMAZING MOMS OUT THERE! Lots of love from me._

The Talent _: Thank you for the review! I'm quite excited for Sam to have the baby… I'm already planning it out!_

James: _Thank you for the review as well!_

ShadowDragon357: _Also thank you for the review! I actually have a bit of a plan for the accident, but we'll see if my idea changes or if I go with what I'm thinking right now… it's funny that you mentioned all those little things in your last review as well; I had already written most of the beginning of this chapter talking about those when I got the email saying you'd written! I hope I did an okay job of going into those details._


	7. He's Back

**Chapter 7**

Danny had always hated leaving Sam behind when he had to take care of a ghost problem, but ever since they had found out she was pregnant, it had been at least ten times worse. He hadn't given much thought to having a baby, especially since the two of them were both still young, but ever since he had seen the plus sign on that little stick… he shook his head, forcing thoughts of Sam and the baby to the back of his mind.

Suddenly, a ray came out of nowhere and hit him in the side; it would have driven Danny right into a building had he not turned intangible. He was able to quickly recover and began to look around for whoever had hit him – but there was nobody there, ghost or otherwise.

 _Something's not right here_ was the only thought he had time to think before an invisible force slammed him into the ground, hard. There were stars popping in front of his eyes and the air had evaporated from his lungs. It took him a few heartbeats to pull himself together, but when his eyes searched for the source of whatever had taken him down, there was still nothing there.

"Come out and fight like a… whatever you are!" Danny felt stupid, talking to the empty air, but he didn't know what else to do. Some of the ghosts he had previously fought reacted to taunting, and he hoped that this one would take the bait too. "Are you not big enough to fight me fairly?"

"Danny Phantom, always so _brave_ …" the voice that answered him sounded snide and cold, but somehow familiar. It took another minute before things clicked into place.

"Plasmius?" Danny's body felt icy; the last time he had seen his dad's ex-best-friend was the day the asteroid didn't hit earth. _How had he gotten back?_

"Oh, right on the first guess! How clever of you." All of a sudden, there was a figure where there had been just open sky before. But it looked nothing like the Vlad that Danny had known just a few years earlier. While the hair was still black, it was ragged and looked like it had been fried in some places; the skin had become sallow and looked like it would fall off at just a touch; the eyes had been sunken in and lost all glimmers of kindness; it was a Vlad that had been through hell, and one that Danny just knew was more than willing to take him out of the equation.

"How – why - "

"It took me until now to figure out the way back, and a little bit of help. But the important thing is I've become even more powerful and I'm even more determined to destroy you. If I can't have my happy ending, neither – can – you!"

As he spoke the last few words, he floated to the ground and took a few steps towards Danny, a glowing green ball in his fist. With each passing heartbeat, the ball seemed to glow brighter and get denser, and Danny had just started to turn and flee when he felt something hit him in the small of his back, knocking him forward into the asphalt. He felt himself weakly phase back to a human before everything went black and he knew no more.


	8. Awake

**Chapter 8**

Sam had never felt so sick, even during her first trimester of pregnancy. A couple days earlier, Jack and Maddie had come rushing in with some form on a stretcher between them – it had been Danny, unconscious and looking worn down and beaten. All Sam could do for the hour after they brought him home was sob uncontrollably. She even called Tucker, but he didn't answer.

"Please tell me he'll be okay," was all she could say when Maddie and Jack finally came back in to check on Danny and update Sam on his labwork. Apparently, since the family had found out Sam was pregnant, they had all but installed a full hospital in their lab. In this immediate moment, however, Sam was very glad that they had done so.

Although Maddie and Jack had tried to reassure Sam that Danny would wake up and come back to her, the days that had passed were nothing short of torturous. What had happened to Danny? And if he had lost a serious fight, why was he still alive? He had never been out for that long before. Sam spent countless hours just staring at Danny, wishing him awake.

On the third day, Danny woke up before Sam did. He waited quietly for a half hour before Sam opened her eyes and he finally spoke.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Sam sat up so fast that she became momentarily nauseous.

"Danny? Oh my god, oh my god, Danny!"

"Slow down, Sam. You are still pregnant…" Danny smiled, but his voice sounded faint. Sam got out of her bed and walked over to him.

"Danny, what happened to you?"

He was just about to answer when his mother came bursting through the door.

"He's awake, Jack!" Maddie yelled up the stairs before rushing to her son's side. "Oh, Danny, we're all so glad you're okay. What happened?"

Sam couldn't help but notice Danny's face drop and his eyes pick up a glimmer of fear.

"It was Vlad. He's back."

Silence greeted his words. It was only broken when Jack came thundering down the stairs.

"I had to call Jazz and tell her he's awake! What's going on?" He faltered when he saw Danny's face. Nobody spoke up. Vlad's betrayal and exile had been especially hard on Danny's father, and his name was seldom mentioned among the Fenton's, Sam, and Tucker.

"Dad…" Danny sighed heavily. "Vlad attacked me."

Jack froze and then began to tense up. Sam began to worry; the last time Vlad's name had been brought up, Jack had gone into a rage that took several hours to calm down, and only Maddie was able to help. But instead, Jack seemed to gather himself, but he did sound strained when he spoke next.

"What did he do to you?"

"I don't really remember, to be honest… he was attacking me, but I couldn't see him, and then he showed himself to me – he looks really bad, dad."

"Not as bad as when we get ahold of him!" Maddie burst out angrily. "How did he get back? I thought you left him in space?"

"We did," Jack and Danny said together.

"Then how did he get back?" Sam spoke up, her hand finding Danny's and gripping it hard. "How did he survive? Why is he going after Danny again?"

"All I know is that he doesn't want me to 'have a happy ending,'" Danny said, shaking his head slightly. "That's all he said before I passed out. And I'm guessing he's even angrier at dad and I for leaving him out there."

Nobody spoke, each person lost in their own thoughts.

"I think we'll need to keep quiet for a while… at least until Sam has the baby," Maddie said. "Whatever Vlad is up to, it doesn't sound like he has my grandchild's best interests at heart."

Danny put his hand on Sam's belly and the baby gave a kick. "What do you suggest, mom? What about the other ghosts?"

"We'll handle that, Danny!" Jack said immediately. Sam couldn't help but smile; this would be the perfect opportunity to distract Jack from the attack on Danny and to help keep him safe. She was glad Maddie suggested they lay low for a while. She really didn't want Danny to miss the birth and now that Vlad was back on the loose, he would be a lot safer with his family.

"All right, Jack. Let's let Danny rest," Maddie said. She had been watching Sam, and Sam had the distinct feeling that she knew the couple wanted some time alone to digest everything that had happened. Sam offered a smile and a mental thank-you as Maddie led Jack out of the lab and up the stairs into the main house.

"Well, it looks like we're on house arrest together," Sam said, turning to Danny with a slight smile on her lips.

"I'm almost glad," Danny answered. "You're getting so close to having our son, and I would never forgive myself if I missed it…" he trailed off.

"But you're not looking forward to being cooped up. I understand that." Sam leaned down and kissed Danny's forehead. "As soon as little man is born, you'll be free to do what you do."

"I just wish I knew what Vlad was up to," Danny said, his brows coming together in concern. "I don't like that he's already found us, and I don't like the way he sounded."

"You said he was looking pretty bad?"

"Yeah," Danny closed his eyes. "He looked really… tired. And really old too. Almost like he should be weaker than before. But he said he was _more_ powerful."

They lapsed into silence again, each thinking about Vlad Masters – a.k.a. Plasmius – and wondering how he had not only survived being left for dead in space, but how he had managed to get back to earth. Although Sam didn't know exactly how, she had a feeling that they had definitely not seen the last of the other half-ghost…

…

A/N: _I don't know if I like this chapter, so don't be entirely surprised if I rewrite it at some point! I'm excited about where this is going, though, and I have some cool plans, so enjoy and watch out for chapter 9! I'll try and finish it tonight, but if I don't, it should be up tomorrow. I hope everybody had an amazing Mother's Day, I know I did!_


	9. Snatched

**Chapter 9**

The first week was relatively uneventful, with just a couple of stray ghosts and another checkup for Sam and the baby. It felt too quiet, but Sam didn't say anything about the sour feeling in her stomach; she didn't want to worry Danny or set his parents off. The fact that the last week had been so quiet had been comforting too, and she didn't want to pop the happy bubble she had been in.

"Baby's looking good, Sam!" Maddie said the Friday after Danny had woken up. "He's also face down, which means your all-natural birth should go just fine."

Sam beamed and looked at Danny. He smiled, but she saw the conflict in his eyes. Although he had been pretty good about hiding his cooped-up feelings over the week, Sam understood the feeling. She had just started to get used to being house-bound, and she still had days where she thought she might go crazy, especially with her swollen belly, ankles, and fingers throbbing and aching to get some exercise.

"I want to get some fresh air, and I want Danny with me." Sam pulled her shirt back over her belly and rubbed it; she had been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions and they were getting more uncomfortable every day. "It would be good for both of us to get out. We won't go far, I promise."

Maddie didn't look convinced.

"C'mon, mom. We can't be kept inside all the time. It'll drive both of us crazy. And Sam needs exercise to help prepare for having a baby."

"Well… all right. But we'll be checking on you."

Sam didn't even give thought to Maddie's last statement. She grabbed Danny's wrist and pulled him up the stairs and through the Fenton's front door. They both took a big, deep breath as soon as the crisp air hit their faces and smiled at each other.

"Well, it's not fighting ghosts, but it's at least outside…" Sam said, feeling her cheeks warm up.

"You're a genius for thinking that." Danny laughed. "Let's take a walk. Not too far, though. I don't want my parents to freak out if they don't see us for too long."

Sam nodded and took Danny's hand again. They set off at a slightly slower pace than usual; Sam's belly was getting heavy and slowing her down slightly and the fact that she hadn't been walking and moving around very much only made things harder. She appreciated Danny's patience and the fact that he wasn't pushing her to move any faster.

"Oh," Sam said suddenly, putting one hand on the brick wall to the Fenton's neighbors' apartment building and the other on her belly. "Ouch."

"Are you okay? You're not in labor, are you?" Danny sounded slightly panicky.

"No, no. They're Braxton-Hicks – er, practice labor," Sam explained, seeing Danny's confused expression. "Don't worry. This baby still has a few weeks to grow, anyway. I just need to take a minute here."

Danny helped Sam sit on the curb and rubbed her back while she breathed heavily. She knew he wasn't convinced she wasn't having a baby, but was glad when he said nothing and moved his strong hands to her belly.

"Thanks. That actually feels really good, Danny."

"No problem. How will you know it's real labor?"

"I don't know… but I'm pretty sure it will be apparent when it happens." Sam frowned. "Do you feel like you're ready?"

"No, but I'm excited for it anyway." Danny leaned in and kissed her. "All right, maybe we should get back before mom and dad freak out."

He helped her up and put his arm around the small of her back to help steady her. They began to walk back towards the Fenton's front door, but as they turned the corner and the neon signs came into view, a wisp of cold smoke passed out of Danny's mouth and in front of Sam's face.

"Sam," was all he needed to say. She nodded silently and fixed her eyes on the front door handle as she heard him phase beside her. She began to walk slowly towards the red brick building, and was passing the alleyway between it and an apartment building when something grabbed her and pulled her sideways. She stumbled and fell into something solid, but couldn't scream for Danny – whatever had her had a strong grip on her mouth and it was covered by a thick glove, barely allowing her nose room to breathe.

"We'll just leave Danny to deal with that ghost while you come with me, I think."

Sam knew that voice.

It was Vlad.

…

A/N: _I'm really starting to enjoy where this story is going, to be honest! It's not going in the direction that I first thought it would when I thought of it, but I think it's turning out better!_

 _I was just about to post this chapter when I saw your reviews, ShadowDragon357! I'm glad you're still reviewing and hope you enjoy this chapter as well._


	10. Dinner Invitation

**Chapter 10**

When Sam woke up, her head hurt a lot. She took a moment to feel her body and make sure that everything was okay, and then her hands explored her belly; she exhaled only when she felt a kick.

Now that she was assured her baby was okay, she began to look around and try to identify where she was. Memories of being taken came forward and she shuddered slightly, wondering if Danny had realized she was gone yet or if the ghost had gotten him, too. But it wasn't just any ghost that had taken her – it was Vlad!

But… if Vlad had taken her, why was she on a bed? Although he'd tried to show some kindness in Sam and Danny's lives before the asteroid, Sam thought that he would be fueled by hatred and a desire for revenge. Not that she'd ever thought about him coming back. She, along with Danny, his family, and Tucker had all assumed that he'd died out in space.

Sam cautiously padded over to the only door in the room and put her hand on the elegant handle. She tried pushing it, but it refused to budge. She pulled. Nothing happened.

 _Great. I'm locked in this damn room and I don't even know where I am._

"Oh, good. You're awake." The sudden noise made her jump. "As you now know, you're locked in. What you don't know is I have that room wired, just like every other room in my new mansion. You won't be able to sneeze without me knowing about it, even if you do manage to get out of your new bedroom."

Well, now she knew it was Vlad who had captured her, and he had a new mansion. She briefly wondered if it was in Wisconsin before he began to speak once more.

"According to the bloodwork I've done on you, you're almost thirty-seven weeks pregnant! Congratulations."

The last word sent shivers down Sam's spine – it was cold and lifeless, like it was inhuman. She put her arms around her belly as if scared he would come in and rip her baby boy right out of her.

"Thirty-seven weeks is considered 'full term,' you know," Vlad's voice continued, now icy and condescending. "I'll do an analysis on you and the child when you hit that week - "

"Why?" Sam asked without thinking.

"To make sure you're ready to deliver, and that the child will survive the birth, of course!" Vlad laughed. It was an icy, sick sound and it made Sam cringe. "Once you've delivered, I'll keep you alive to feed the child, provided you behave yourself, as I experiment and learn about it. I'm surprised Danny's DNA even translated into a reproductive capacity!"

"Danny'll find us, you know," Sam said, thinking she was quiet enough that Vlad wouldn't hear. "He'll find us, and save us. He loves his son - "

"Oh, it's a _boy_!" Vlad exclaimed. "This just keeps getting better and better. I hope he does find us, too. It would be so nice to have a little… family reunion." There was a pause. "You will be joining me for dinner tonight. Get freshened up and ready and I will see you then."

Sighing heavily and trying to keep calm, Sam made her way back over to the bed and sat down. She rubbed her belly and felt the baby kick. She was glad they were both alive, at least. But had Danny noticed her absence yet? How long had she been out? And why did Vlad want her baby?

…

A/N: _Decided to keep this one short, I have a lot I want to cover over the next chapter or two. I hope it comes together okay… I should have another chapter up tonight!_

 _ShadowDragon357, I'm glad I got your review so soon! It kinda helped me keep on track with the plot and remember some of the things I'd planned before. There's so much to Vlad that the options are nearly endless!_


	11. New Schedule

**Chapter 11**

After a few minutes of silent fuming, Sam went back over what Vlad had said. He hadn't given her many clues as to where they were or what he wanted… maybe he would be less tight-lipped at dinner. She looked around for a dresser or even a closet, but found nothing.

 _How am I supposed to "get ready" when there's no clothes or anything?_ Sam wondered, annoyed. She paced around anxiously, wondering what Vlad would do during dinner.

After a long, anxious while, a well-dressed, tall man entered the room. It sounded like he'd had to unlock several things before he was able to even open the door.

"Are you ready for dinner?"

"I guess. He didn't really leave me much to wear," Sam tried to lace every word with sarcasm, but the man didn't acknowledge her. Instead, he held the door open and held it while she walked through. It fell shut with a heavy thud that made Sam jump a little.

He led her down a very long, gothic-looking hallway and took several twists and turns, finally climbing a set of stairs and ending up in a high-ceilinged dining room. It was filled with a mahogany table that stretched almost the entire length of the hall and big, elegant chairs all around it. Sam didn't see Vlad, but the butler slid out a chair next to the head of the table and helped her sit down.

"So glad you joined me," a slimy voice came from behind her. Sam shivered and looked down at her plate, hoping that she wouldn't have to see who the voice belonged to. "It's impolite to not look at your host, you know."

Sam blinked hard, sighed, and looked up. She let out a yelp, but it took all of her self-control not to scream. Danny had been to kind about how Vlad looked – he looked like a living corpse. For a second, Sam thought wildly that Vlad had caught some sort of zombie virus, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind so she could focus on getting through dinner.

"It's also rude to not greet your host when he has so graciously allowed you into his home and his table."

"Thank you." Sam clipped her words short but didn't dare speak out in front of him, just in case he decided she didn't need to be kept alive after all.

"Well, it's an improvement." Vlad pulled his chair out and sat down, moving more elegantly than Sam expected him to. Neither of them spoke for a moment as several rather creepy-looking men in white chef's clothes came out and served food on big, silver platters. "So… _Sam_. Danny has finally settled down? When was the wedding?"

"We aren't married." Sam watched Vlad as he pulled some chicken and steamed vegetables off of the biggest platter, but she didn't move or reach for anything, even though her stomach was growling angrily at her.

"Please, eat something, it's delicious and made organically." Vlad's voice sounded greasy and it made Sam's stomach churn. "And you'll need to feed your bastard child too. I won't have you ruining this for me."

There was a noise in Sam's ear and it took her a moment to figure out that it was her – she was grinding her teeth. She stopped immediately and rearranged her face into what she hoped was a blank expression; she didn't want to give Vlad the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under her skin.

"Tell me about the pregnancy?" Vlad said, but it didn't sound much like a question.

"What's there to tell? We had sex. I got pregnant." Sam tried to keep her voice low and short. She didn't want to go into any details of her life with him, but was scared of his temper.

"I know how babies are made," Vlad snapped. "But have you been eating well? Gaining weight? Are you low-risk?"

"Why?"

"Because I asked." There was something in his tone that made Sam shiver. She decided to answer him… but her way.

"I'm low-risk so far… eating okay… I haven't been keeping track of my weight."

Vlad was quiet for a moment before launching into what appeared to be a rehearsed speech.

"That's going to change now that you're under my care. You will report to the dining room three times a day for your meals, and if you feel hungry between them, I will install an alarm system in your room so you may ring one of the clones for one. We will figure out how well-behaved you are and that will determine your exercise schedule. That is, if you and the baby pass my tests and can handle having a natural birth."

Sam was so shocked by what she was hearing that her mouth hung open slightly.

"So eat."

The rest of the meal passed in a very strange silence, and Sam was quite relieved when he released her to go back to her room. Her head was still buzzing with everything he had told her, but Vlad had not gone into why he wanted her baby or how the birth would go. The only thing he told her was that she was to be awake and ready by eight the next morning so he could perform some tests on her and the baby.

The bed may have been comfortable, but when Sam fell into it, all she could feel was ice where Danny's body should have been and an ache in her heart.

 _Where are you, Danny? Please don't let Vlad take our baby…_

And she cried herself to sleep.

…

A/N: _Sorry I never posted yesterday! It has been a crazy busy couple of days – including taking my son to the zoo for the first time! Anyway, I've finally finished this chapter and I'm already planning out the next one. I hope y'all enjoy!_


	12. Tucker

**Chapter 12**

Danny felt like he was going mad.

It had only been a day and a half since Sam had gone missing, and although he knew exactly who took her, he had no clue _where_ they had gone. He called Tucker every hour he was awake, but only got his voicemail.

Both Jack and Maddie were on full-hunt mode and were running around crazily trying to gather all their ghost-hunting equipment and do some last-minute adjustments to some of their gear – and the family RV. Somehow, Maddie managed to convince Danny to stay at home and not immediately go looking for Sam; she said it should be a family effort and that she and Jack wanted to be there in case their son needed backup.

Morning passed into afternoon and Danny was beginning to feel restless. He was about to go upstairs and try to convince his parents to let him go out when his phone rang. Hoping it was Sam, he immediately reached for the cell phone he'd thrown on the bed in frustration not five minutes ago. It was Tucker!

 _Finally_ , Danny thought as he pressed the ACCEPT button. "Tucker! It's about time you called me back - "

"Danny, I'm the mayor. Busy is an understatement!"

"Well, I need you."

"Wait. Let me go first, 'cause I need you first. Danny… Valerie went into the Ghost Zone four days ago and she hasn't come back."

For a second, the thought of Sam disappeared completely from Danny's mind. Valerie was one of a very few people that knew where the entrances to the Ghost Zone were, but Danny never worried about it because she could definitely handle herself. But she had never been gone for this long before, especially without somehow contacting Tucker.

"Why was she going in there?"

"I don't know. I've been busy lately with stuff so we haven't been spending much time together…" Tucker sounded upset now. "You gotta help me get her back, man."

"All right, Tucker. Can you come over right now?"


End file.
